---
title: Full development environment
sidebar_label: Full development
tags:
    - development
    - contributor
    - backend
    - frontend
    - docker
---

import ExecutionEnvironment from "@docusaurus/ExecutionEnvironment";
import TabItem from "@theme/TabItem";
import Tabs from "@theme/Tabs";

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following tools installed:

- [Python](https://www.python.org/) (3.13 or later)
- [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) (Latest stable release)
- [Go](https://go.dev/) (1.24 or later)
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) (24 or later)
- [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) (16 or later)
- [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) (Latest Community Edition or Docker Desktop)
- [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/) (Compose v2)

## 1. Setting Up Required Services

authentik depends on several external services:

- [Redis](https://redis.io/) for caching
- [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) for database storage
- [Zenko CloudServer (S3)](https://www.zenko.io/cloudserver/) for object storage
- [Sentry Spotlight](https://spotlightjs.com/) for error tracking and visualization

### Option A: Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

The easiest way to set up these services is using the provided Docker Compose configuration:

```shell
docker compose -f scripts/docker-compose.yml up -d
```

### Option B: Using local installations

Alternatively, you can install and run these services directly on your system.

:::info
If using locally installed databases, ensure the PostgreSQL credentials provided to authentik have `CREATE DATABASE` and `DROP DATABASE` permissions, because authentik creates temporary databases for testing.
:::

## 2. Installing Platform-Specific Dependencies

<Tabs defaultValue="Mac">
<TabItem value="Mac">

Install the required native dependencies on macOS using Homebrew:

```shell
brew install \
libxmlsec1 \
libpq \
krb5 \
pkg-config \
uv \
postgresql \
redis \
node@24 \
golangci-lint
```

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="Linux">

For Debian/Ubuntu-based distributions:

```shell
pip install uv && \
sudo apt-get install -y \
libgss-dev \
krb5-config \
libkrb5-dev \
postgresql-server-dev-all \
postresql \
redis
```

For other distributions (Red Hat, SUSE, Arch), adjust the package names as needed.

Install `golangci-lint` by following the [official installation instructions](https://golangci-lint.run/welcome/install/#other-ci).

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="Windows">

We're currently seeking community input on running the full development environment on Windows. If you have experience with this setup, please consider contributing to this documentation.

</TabItem>
</Tabs>

## 3. Set up the backend

:::info
All `make` commands must be executed from the root directory of your local authentik Git repository.
:::

### Install dependencies

Install all required JavaScript and Python dependencies and create an isolated Python environment:

```shell
make install
```

### Generate development configuration

Create a local configuration file that uses the local databases for development:

```shell
make gen-dev-config
```

### Understanding the architecture

authentik is primarily a Django application running under gunicorn, proxied by a Go application that serves static files.
For better code navigation, most functions and classes have type hints and docstrings. We recommend installing a Python Type-checking Extension in your IDE.

## 4. Set up the frontend

Even if you're not planning to develop the UI, you need to build the frontend as no compiled bundle is included by default.

### Running database migrations

First, apply all database migrations:

```shell
make migrate
```

### Generating schema files

Generate the required schema files and TypeScript client:

```shell
make gen
```

:::info
After making changes to the authentik API, you must re-run `make gen` to update the API library used by the UI.
:::

### Building the UI

You have several options for building the UI:

#### One-time build

```shell
make web-build
```

#### Live development mode

For real-time feedback as you make changes:

```shell
make web-watch
```

#### Formatting frontend code

After making changes:

```shell
make web
```

## 5. Running authentik

Now that the backend and frontend have been set up and built, you can start authentik.

Start the server by running the following command in the same directory as your local authentik git repository:

```shell
make run-server   # Starts authentik server
```

Start the worker by running the following command in the same directory as your local authentik git repository:

```shell
make run-worker   # Starts authentik worker
```

Both processes need to run to get a fully functioning authentik development environment.

authentik will be accessible at http://localhost:9000.

### Initial setup

To set a password for the default admin user (**akadmin**):

1. Navigate to http://localhost:9000/if/flow/initial-setup/ in your browser.
2. Follow the setup wizard to create your admin account.

:::info
To define a password for the default admin (called **akadmin**), you can manually enter the `/if/flow/initial-setup/` path in the browser address bar to launch the initial flow. Example: http://localhost:9000/if/flow/initial-setup/.

In case of issues in this process, feel free to use `make dev-reset` which drops and restores the authentik PostgreSQL instance to a "fresh install" state.
:::

### Hot-reloading

When `AUTHENTIK_DEBUG` is set to `true` (the default for the development environment), the authentik server automatically reloads whenever changes are made to the code. However, due to instabilities in the reloading process of the worker, that behavior is turned off for the worker. You can enable code reloading in the worker by manually running `uv run ak worker --watch`.

## End-to-End (E2E) Setup

To run E2E tests, navigate to the `/tests/e2e` directory in your local copy of the authentik git repo, and start the services by running `docker compose up -d`.

You can then view the Selenium Chrome browser via http://localhost:7900/ using the password: `secret`.

Alternatively, you can connect directly via VNC on port `5900` using the password: `secret`.

:::note
When using Docker Desktop, host networking needs to be enabled via **Docker Settings** > **Resources** > **Network** > **Enable host networking**.
:::

## 6. Contributing code

### Before submitting a pull request

Ensure your code meets our quality standards by running:

1. **Code linting**:

    ```shell
    make lint
    ```

2. **Generate updated API documentation**:

    ```shell
    make gen
    ```

3. **Format frontend code**:

    ```shell
    make web
    ```

You can run all these checks at once with:

```shell
make lint gen web
```

### Submitting your changes

Once your code passes all checks, you can submit a pull request through [GitHub](https://github.com/goauthentik/authentik/pulls). Be sure to:

- Provide a clear description of your changes
- Reference any related issues
- Follow our code style guidelines
- Update any related documentation
- Include tests for your changes where appropriate

Thank you for contributing to authentik!
